Delayed-activation, hydration maintenance, apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A composite, time-delayed, polymer-coated, granulated material for maintaining hydration in plants is formulated to delay acceptance of water in order to operate in drilling, plugging, and disking equipment used for aeration, soil amendment, or both. Whether potted or outdoors, whether relying on a third-material binder or a small, hydrated portion of the polymer itself as a binder, the material may be injected or otherwise placed below the surface of soils. Water is eventually absorbed sufficiently to expose the bulk of the hydrating particles attached to each granule. Addition of the granulated material as a soil amendment resists dehydration normally occurring in plants between waterings, yet its initial delay in hydrating supports water-jet injection and soil integration by resisting premature expansion from hydration.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/099,852, filed Sep. 24, 2008 forDELAYED-ACTIVATION, HYDRATION MAINTENANCE APPARATUS AND METHOD.

BACKGROUND

1. The Field of the Invention

This invention relates to horticulture and, more particularly, to novelsystems and methods for amending soils to maintain hydration of plants,aeration of soils, or both.

2. The Background Art

Different types of soils perform their functions differently. Inparticular, rocky soils, sandy soils and the like tend to pass water toofreely. Likewise clay soils tend to hold water, but yet not permit thewater to distribute therethroughout. Typically, organic soils, havingsubstantial amounts of loam formed by organic matter such as leaves,other foliage, decaying plant matter, and the like, provide betterabsorption and holding of water.

The health of plants depends upon access to water. Many parts of theUnited States, and even indoor plant locations such as malls, homes,offices, and the like receive little or no rainfall. Irrigation orperiodic watering by some mechanism is often required. In suchsituations, plants may dwell for an extended period without additionalwater. Organic soils improve the water holding capacity around suchplants. Nevertheless, evaporation and periodic watering may stillcombine to stress plants.

Meanwhile, aeration is not without its problems. Drills and coringdevices leave on the surface of the soil the material removed frompenetrations made for aeration. For a golfing green or the like, suchdeposits disturb the playing surface. Even on a lawn, such deposits maybe unsightly or otherwise problematic.

It would be an advance in the art to provide a material, apparatus, andmethod whereby to automatically store within a soil, such as near roots,a substance to absorb water, releasing it over time while resistingevaporation. It would be a further advance in the art to creatematerials and methods for soil amendment, so materials could beautomatically injected into soils to provide aeration and maintenance ofhydration by an aeration or tillage device. It would be a furtheradvance in the art to provide an apparatus, method, and material bywhich to amend soils for improved hydration and aeration withouthampering operation of tillage and dressing equipment.

It would be a further advance in the art to provide apparatus, methods,and materials to delay activity of a soil amdendment until the amendingmaterial has had time to be received and integrated more deeply into thesoil and the soil has had time to redistribute or recover from thedisturbance caused by placement of the hydrating amendment into the soilthrough dressing or tillage.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, in accordance with the invention as embodiedand broadly described herein, a composition, method, and apparatus aredisclosed in various embodiments in accordance with the presentinvention to include a substrate or carrier. The carrier may be sand,rock, vermiculite, another inorganic material, or an organic material,such as seed, for example. The carrier may have secured thereto,temporarily or permanently, an absorbent, typically a hydrating polymersuch as polyacrylamide (PAM). A repellant may coat the carrier,providing a shield for rejecting liquid water for some preselectedperiod of delay.

Eventually, the repellant is breached, and water can then be absorbed bythe absorbent in proximity to the substrate (e.g. carrier particle). Incertain embodiments, such as where a potted plant may have a transparentvessel or pot in which it is held, pigment may be added to the polymer,to an optional binder or solvent, or to the surface of the substrate(carrier) by any suitable mechanism. Thus, for example, the hydrationmaintenance material (absorber) may be configured as an identifyingelement on its own or as a decorative element for the hydrator materialwhen used with a potted plant or otherwise made visible in use.

The composite, time-delayed, polymer-coated, granulated material formaintaining hydration in plants is formulated to delay acceptance ofwater. For example, the method and material will resist hydration fromhumidity or even from water flows in machinery or in soils and the like.The granules will act as a dry material in order to discharge fromdrilling, plugging, and disking equipment used for aeration, soilamendment, or both. Likewise the method and material may resisthydration for minutes, days, or even weeks after injection into the soilin some embodiments.

Whether potted or outdoors, whether relying on a third-material binderor a small, hydrated portion of the polymer itself as a binder, thehydrator material may be injected or otherwise placed below the surfaceof soils. Water is eventually absorbed sufficiently to expose the bulkof the hydrating particles attached to each granule. Addition of thegranulated material as a soil amendment resists dehydration normallyoccurring in plants between waterings, yet its initial delay inhydrating supports water-jet injection, soil integration, andself-repair of soil penetrations by resisting premature expansion fromearly hydration.

In certain embodiments, a method for treating soils may provide ahydrator, comprising a carrier formed as granules, an absorber disposedon a surface of the carrier, and a repellant applied to the absorber toresist absorption of water thereby for a preselected period of time. Onemay select a soil location, provide a cavity in the soil, and depositeor otherwise position a quantity of the hydrator in the cavity. Applyingwater to the soil location during the preselected period may thenintegrate the hydrator into the soil. This also provides motivation andtime for the surrounding soil to close the cavity to resist escape ofthe hydrator upon eventual absorption of water by the absorber.

Penetrating the repellant is typically done by water vapor. Oncesufficient time and water vapor have passed, the water in the absorbermay swell, rupturing the surfaces of the absorber or absorbent andexposing large areas that are not coated with repellant. This willsubstantially destroy the ability of the repellant to resist absorptionof water by the absorber.

Providing water to the soil subsequent to the preselected period maythen hydrate the absorber. Maintenance of a portion of the water may beaccomplished for a comparatively long time by the absorber, well afterdrying of surrounding soil proximate the soil location. The absorber istypically a polymer. Various polymers act somewhat like gelatinoussubstances and will function properly. One synthetic polymer found towork well is polyacrylamide.

The method may optionally include forming the cavity by a device such asa mechanical drill, a water-jet drill, a corer, a trencher, a disk, orthe like. The carrier may include, be formulated as, or be supplied asparticles. The absorber typically may be a powder by comparison,particles an order of magnitude smaller than the carrier particles andinitially secured thereto by either a binder or by absorbing watersufficiently to make the absorber tacky enough to attach to the carrier.

The repellant may be added to delay the time (e.g. preselected time)during which the treated granules will delay contact and absorption ofliquid water by the absorber. In certain embodiments, the surfacetension of liquid water in contact with the repellant effects a surfacetension to repel the liquid water from the repellant and any materialthe repellant is applied to. The repellant is typically an inorganicmaterial. One material that serves as a repellant is silicon dioxide,particularly an amorphous silicon dioxide like fumed silica.

The carrier may include one or more materials selected from the groupconsisting of seed, insecticide, fungicide, surfactant, fertilizer,organic amendment to soils, root stimulant, and inorganic amendment tosoils. The inorganic amendment maybe, for example, materials such assand, gravel, vermiculite, perlite, and so forth.

Binding the absorber to the carrier may be effectively accomplished bypartially hydrating the absorber to make it tacky, in order to adhere tothe carrier. This has been accomplished by providing water to wet theoutside surface of the carrier in an amount of from about one halfpercent to about twelve percent by weight with respect to the carrier.

A range most suitable seems to be from about one half percent to aboutsix percent by weight of water. Best results seem to occur when theamount of water is from about two percent to about three percent byweight. Thus a target of about 2 ½% is a suitable process design target.

The amount of absorber disposed on the carrier may be from about onehalf percent to about 50 percent by weight with respect to the carrier.The absorber with no carrier may be used. However, a carrier providesbetter handling. Also a carrier provides dilution of the more expensiveabsorber for improved distribution. More desirable results appear to beachieved when the amount of absorber is from about two to about eightpercent by weight with respect to the carrier. A target of about sixpercent has served well in experiments.

The amount of repellant applied may range from about two hundred fiftyparts per million by weight to about ten percent by weight with respectto the combined weight of the carrier and absorber. In embodimentscontemplated for many commercial purposes, the amount of repellant maytypically range from about one tenth percent to about one percent byweight with respect to the combined weight of the carrier and absorber.

In certain embodiments of an apparatus, composition, and method inaccordance with the invention amendment may include providing a hydratormade up of a carrier formed as granules, an absorber disposed on asurface of the carrier, and a repellant applied to the absorber toresist absorption of water by the hydrator for a preselected period oftime. A tool effective to penetrate a soil location may form a cavity inthe soil. For example, a disk, drill, cultivator shoe, punch,perforator, water jet, or the like may act as the tool. Thereafter, auser or the tool may position a charge of the hydrator (with or withoutother materials or excipients) in the cavity.

Initially, typically for some pre-selected time, the repellant mayresist absorption of a liquid such as water by the absorber. The timemay range from second to weeks, depending on the amount and dispositionof the repellant.

Eventually, the repellant will be breached, typically by some smallamount of vapor of the liquid (e.g. water). As the absorber absorbs thevapor and effectively “binds” it, the absorber eventually becomesincreasingly hydrated. Absorption eventually results, in turn, inswelling by the absorber in response to the volume of absorption of thevapor phase of the liquid. Finally, the swelling continues untilbreaching of the repellant layer by the absorber.

Although the repellant may be effective even when gaps exist in coverageon the surface of the absorbers, the repellant cannot re-distribute orotherwise repel liquid forever. For example, surface tension may keep awater droplet at bay. However, eventually some swollen granules ofabsorbent will extend beyond the envelope defined by the perimeter ofthe granule of carrier. Such a portion of the absorber is then in aposition to directly contact a liquid droplet and absorb it.

The process of absorption may progress exponentially, with more granulescreating more breaches in the envelope defined by the layer ofrepellant. As absorbent granules begin absorbing water vapor, they beginexpanding, eventually providing an increasing number of extensions ofexpanded absorber material reaching outside the perimeter (i.e.,envelope) of the coated carrier. The enlarged absorber granules may evenbegin dominating or defining the perimeter themselves. At some point,absorption may become so pervasive as to be limited only by factors suchas the availability of liquid, the rate of transport processes into theabsorber, and the maximum amount of liquid that can be absorbed.

In certain embodiments of methods of soil amendment, a hydratorcomprising a granulated carrier, coated with a powdered or otherwiseformed absorber on a surface thereof, with a repellant applied to resistabsorption of water may effectively reduce or substantially resisthydration for a preselected period of time. Thus, selection of a soillocation, forming a cavity at the soil location, and injecting apreselected amount of the hydrator will not be interrupted by prematureabsorption of water.

For example, if perforation of soils and injecting of the hydrator isaccomplished by a water jet, premature wetting of, and swelling by, thehydrator may foul machinery and halt operation. Likewise, followinginjection, premature wetting and swelling of the hydrator may cause thehydrator to extrude out of the cavity, diminishing effectiveness andfouling the surrounding ground with a slippery gel.

By compounding the hydrator to provide a preselected delay, activationof the hydrator to perform its function is delayed. This delay providestime for the hydrator to clear the injection machinery rather thanplugging conduits and ports. Likewise, the ground surrounding a cavityor other penetration containing the hydrator has time to respond toongoing environmental stimuli such as watering, weather, settling,walking thereon, and so forth, tending to close the top opening of thecavity and distribute the hydrator into available spaces in soilsurrounding the cavity in or near a root region of a plant.

Plants susceptible to infrequent watering may thus benefit from thewater-retention capacity of an absorber, such as a polyacrylamidepolymer, a hydrophilic material selected to absorb water in an amountgreater than the weight thereof. The polymer, spread as a thin layer or,better yet, comminuted to powder-sized particles, typically an order ofmagnitute smaller than the granules, will form a gel when exposed towater. However, suitable application of a repellant has been found tocontrol delay of hydration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing features of the present invention will become more fullyapparent from the following description and appended claims, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that thesedrawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are,therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the inventionwill be described with additional specificity and detail through use ofthe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a hydrator including asubstrate (carrier) provided with a binder selected from either abinding material or simply wetted portions of the absorber (e.g.,hydrophilic absorber) attached thereto and coated with an optionalrepellant to delay activation of hydration in accordance with theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of a process forformulating and producing a hydrating material (hydrator, soilamendment) in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of one installationof a hydrator formulation in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2 implementedto service a plant as a hydrating layer;

FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment of an installation in accordancewith the invention having the material of FIG. 1 distributed throughouta region surrounding a root system of a plant; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of an apparatus andmethod for creating a cavity and filling it with delayed-activationhydrator material of FIG. 1 as a soil amendment, in accordance with theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It will be readily understood that the components of the presentinvention, as generally described and illustrated in the drawingsherein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of differentconfigurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of theembodiments of the system and method of the present invention, asrepresented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of theinvention, as claimed, but is merely representative of variousembodiments of the invention. The illustrated embodiments of theinvention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, whereinlike parts are designated by like numerals throughout.

In general, soil may be improved on a large or small scale by additionof organic matter such as peat moss. Likewise, soils may be made moreserviceable by tillage. On a large scale, soils are typically improvedby growing and then plowing in (turning under) certain residue of crops,or even manure crops, plants selected and grown exclusively for theiraddition of organic matter. Likewise, waste materials from corrals,grain stalks (straw), and the like may be plowed into tracts of land inorder to improve their organic content and their capacity to hold waterfor use by plants.

In many environments aeration may be required by the constitution of thesoil, or due to an inability to till the soil. For example, a farm fieldmay rely on ripping (sub-soiling), plowing (turning), disking (breakingup), harrowing (leveling), hilling, rowing, cultivating, or any or allof those tillage operations over the course of an agricultural year. Bycontrast, a lawn or golf green will see virtually no surface tillage onsuch a large and general scale. Meanwhile, various activities likewalking or driving over such ground may lead to compaction of the soils.Thus, aeration devices may penetrate soils to break them up and providethem access to air for “aeration.”

Gelatin is a naturally occurring polymer. Gelatin binds with water toform a “gel.” The existence of naturally occurring polymers such asgelatin has been augmented by the development of synthetic polymers. Onesuch polymer is polyacrylamide. Polyacrylamide (PAM) and other similargels have been used for different types of binding processes. Forexample, a gel, when wet, may be easily formed, and when dry may becomesomething of a glue or binder. Likewise, gels typically are formed oflong polymer chains and thus are often durable in the face of erosiveactions such as water running over them. Accordingly, gels such as PAMmay serve as a treatment for surfaces of ground in order to minimizeerosion by the passing of water thereover.

Horticulture is the culture of plants. Plants rely on water as atransport mechanism in order to draw nutrients from the ground into theplants through the roots and into the stems, leaves, and so forth.Likewise, water acts as a transpiration cooling mechanism by evaporationout through the leaves and other foliage of a plant. However, wateringin many environments is problematic. Too much watering may result inshallow roots. Meanwhile, too little watering may place undue stress onplants. In some locations, water is usually plentiful, so irrigationsystems are not installed. Nevertheless, bouts of periodic drought orlow rainfall need to be evened out. In locations where irrigation isused, soils may still have water retention limitations requiring excessirrigation due to water seeping away in porous soils or running off thesurface of comparatively impervious soils. A soil amendment inaccordance with the invention may assist in retaining water betweenrainfall or irrigation sessions to reduce stress on plants.

Referring to FIG. 1, a material 10 in accordance with the invention mayinclude a substrate 12, also called a carrier 12, formed of a suitablematerial for placement in the vicinity of a root system of a plant. Forexample, a substrate may be a particle of sand. In certain embodiments,even gravel, rock, vermiculite, pearlite, or the like in a pottingenvironment may operate as a substrate.

In some embodiments, a substrate may be formed of either organic orinorganic material. For example wood chips, sawdust, compost, and thelike may be comminuted, sorted, or both to provide particles for use asa substrate (carrier) in a material, process, and apparatus inaccordance with the invention.

Nevertheless, it has been found very effective to use sand as asubstrate 12 inasmuch as it is submersible in water and will not floatas many organic materials will when dry. Likewise, the sand as substrate12 may be quarried, sorted, or purchased at any suitable degree ofcomminuted size. Small sized spaces or interstices between individualgrains of the sand substrate 12 provide ample space and minimum distancefor water to surround each of the substrate 12 particles.

In the illustrated embodiment, a substrate 12 may be secured to anabsorber 18 by a binder 14 formed of a third material or simply ahydrated region of the absorber rendered tacky (e.g., adhesive) byslight, impartial wetting. The binder 14, the absorber 18, either, both,or neither, may be distributed as a comparatively thin layer on thesurface of the substrate 12. Typical materials for binders may includewetted regions of particles of an absorber 18.

Binders 14 may be selected from both temporary and permanent binders 14.Temporary binders may be sugar-based or otherwise water solublematerials. For example, corn syrup, molasses, and the like may formtemporary binders. In the presence of water, such material mayultimately dissolve. Nevertheless, so long as the substrate 12 is notturned, mixed, or otherwise disturbed significantly, any other materialssupported by the binder 14 would not be expected to dislocate.

Otherwise, certain naturally or synthetically occurring polymers mayalso be used as a binder 14. Lignicite may be used as a binder 14.Lignicite is a byproduct of wood and provides material having goodadhesive properties, and substantial permanence as a binder 14 on asubstrate 12.

Other polymers may be used to form a binder 14. For example, variousmaterials used as glues, including mucilage, gelatin, other watersoluble polymers including, for example, Elmer's™ glue, and the like mayalso operate as binders 14 to bind materials to a substrate 12.

In certain embodiments, water, or perhaps more correctly a dampenedportion of the hydrating polymer itself with water, may be the binder.For example, it has been found that dampening the carrier 12 with waterin a proportion of from about one quarter to about 10 percent water byweight will effect adhesion of absorbent 18. However, below about ½percent, adhesion is not as universal as typically desired. Even thoughadhesion is not required, adhesion of the absorber 18 to the carrier 12aids the even distribution of the absorber. Otherwise, some degree ofsegregation of absorber and carrier may occur.

Also, above about 6 percent water by weight dampening the carrier 12,the handling of the mixture of a carrier 12 and absorbent 18 becomesmore difficult. The gel becomes slippery, and adhesion of carrier 12particles together becomes more common and problematic.

The absorber 18 may be added as a film layer on the carrier, but iseasily added as a powder (e.g., comparatively smaller particles than thegranules of the carrier 12) at a proportion of from about 1 percent toabout 20 percent by weight, but typically between about 4 percent and 10percent by weight. A suitable design point is a proportion of from about6 to about 7 percent by weight

In certain embodiments, the substrate 12 may be used in soils in outdoorenvironments. In other situations, the substrate 12 may be implementedin indoor pots and planters. In other embodiments, the substrate 12 maybe used as a filler material in planters or pots having transparent ortranslucent walls. In such embodiments, a pigment 16 may be added.Likewise, even if the substrate 12 and its contents bound thereto arenot to be seen, they may be pigmented with an appropriate pigment 16simply for the purpose of identification during selection, sale, orinstallation. Accordingly, a pigment 16 may be provided.

The pigment 16 may be implemented in any of several manners. Forexample, the substrate 12 may have pigment 16 applied prior to theapplication of either the absorber 18 or any form of optional binder 14.In alternative embodiments, the pigment 16 may actually be included inthe binder 14, which becomes a pigmented coating on the substrate 12. Inyet other embodiments, the pigments 16 may be added to an absorber 18(e.g., hydration particle 18) either as a pigment 16 mixed therein, oras a pigment 16 applied as a coating thereto. Pigment may be added towater used to bind the absorber 18 to the substrate 12. Thus thelocation of the pigment 16 in the Figures is schematic and may beapplied in any alternative location or application method, or beeliminated. Likewise for any binding material 14.

Particles 18 of an absorber 18 (e.g., hydrophilic material) may bebonded to the substrate 12 in any suitable manner. Particles may besized to substantially coat or periodically coat the substrate 12.

In certain embodiments, the absorber 18 such as a hydrophilic material18 may be a powdered polymeric material 18 such as polyacrylamide. Inother embodiments, the particles 18 may actually be organic materialhaving capillary action to readily absorb and hold water. In onepresently contemplated embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with theinvention, the particles 18 may be powdered polymeric material in adehydrated state, and having a capacity to absorb water, typically manytimes the weight of a particular particle 18.

The substrate 12, in certain embodiments, may be sand. The sand willtypically be cleaned and washed to remove dust and organic material thatmay inhibit the binder 14 from being effective. Likewise, the substrate12 may be sized of any suitable size. For example, sand particles mayrange from much less than a millimeter in effective diameter or distancethereacross to approximately two millimeters across. Very coarse sandsmay have even larger effective diameters. Likewise, in certainembodiments, gravel of various sizes may operate as a substrate 12.However in one presently contemplated embodiment, washed and dried sandsuch as is used in construction, such as in concrete, has been found tobe suitable. Fine sands such as masonry sands tend to be smaller, andalso can function suitably in accordance with the invention.

Accordingly, the distance across each particle 18 may be selected toprovide an effective coating of powdered particles 18 on the substrate12. In one presently contemplated embodiment, the effective diameter ofthe particles 18 may be from about a 30 mesh size to about a 100 meshsize. For example, a sieve system for classifying particles has variousmesh sizes. A particle size of about 30 mesh, able to pass through a 30mesh sieve, (i.e., about 0.6 mm) has been found suitable. Likewise,powdering the particles 18 to a size sufficiently small to pass througha 100 mesh (i.e., about 0.015 mm) sieve is also satisfactory. A meshsize of from about 50 mesh to about 75 mesh is an appropriate materialdimension to obtain excellent adhesion of particles 18 with or without aseparate material as the binder 14, leaving a suitable size of particle18 to absorb significant liquid at the surface of the substrate 12.

As a practical matter, about half the volume of a container containing asubstrate 12 as particulate matter will be space, interstices betweenthe granules of the substrate 12 (carrier 12). One advantage of usingmaterials such as sand as the substrate 12 is that a coating of theparticles 18 may provide a substantial volume of water once theparticles 18 are fully saturated. By contrast, where the size of theparticles 18 is too many orders of magnitude smaller than the effectivediameter or size of the substrate particles 12, less of the spacebetween the substrate particles 12 is effectively used for storingwater. Thus, sand as a substrate 12 coated by particles 18 of ahydrophilic material such as a polymer will provide substantial spacebetween the substrate particles 12 to hold water-laden particles 18.

The diameter of the particles 18, or the effective diameter thereof, istypically within about an order of magnitude (e.g., 10×) smaller thanthe effective diameter of the particles of the substrate 12. This orderof magnitude may be changed. For example, the order of magnitudedifference less than about 1 order of magnitude (i.e., 10×) may still beeffective. Similarly, an order of magnitude difference of 2 (i.e., 100×)may also function.

However, with particles 18 too much smaller than an order of magnitudesmaller than the effective diameter of the substrate 12, theinterstitial space may not be as effectively used. Likewise, with aneffective diameter of particles 18 near or larger than about 1 order ofmagnitude smaller than the size of the particles of the substrate 12,binding may be less effective and the particles 18 may interfere morewith the substrate itself as well as the flow of water through theinterstitial spaces needed in order to properly hydrate a material 10.

Referring to FIG. 2, an embodiment of a process for formulating thematerial 10 may involve cleaning 22 the material of the substrate 12.Likewise, the material of the substrate 12 may be dried 23 to make itmore effective in receiving a binder 14. The material of the substrate12 may then be blended 24 with a “binder,” whether a separate adhesivematerial or simply water 14. That is, water as a binder 14 may be addedin order to wet the absorber 18 and thus serve as the “binder 14” agent.The portion of the absorber that takes in the small amount of wateradded may be rendered tacky by hydration, facilitating adhering to thesubstrate 12.

Blending 24 may begin before addition 25 of a binder 14, and maycontinue or recur throughout any addition of materials in the process20. Blending 24 may also begin after addition 25 of a material. Thebrackets indicate that it is optional, but it has been found effectivefor more complete and random distribution.

With water, an amount of from about ½ percent to about 10 percent willserve with 2 ½ percent being a good design point to aim for. However arange of water content should be considered as the response of materialsto temperature and relative humidity may vary the most desirable amountof water.

In one embodiment, a ribbon blender may provide an effective mechanismto perform continuous blending as the binder 14 is added 25. Other typesof mixers, such as rotary mixers, and the like may be used. However, aribbon blender provides a blending 24 that is effective to distributebinder 14 as it is added 25.

For example, if an individual particle of the substrate 12 receives toomuch binder 14 (e.g., adhesive, water, etc.), and thus begins toagglomerate with other particles of the substrate 12, a ribbon blenderwill tend to separate the particles as a natural consequences of itsshearing and drawing action during blending 24.

As the binder 14 is added 25 to the mixture being blended 24, theindividual particles of the substrate 12 will be substantially evenlycoated. At this stage, the binder 14, particularly if it is a polymer ofsome type rather than simply water, may also be heated in order toreduce its viscosity and improve blending. Likewise, the material of thesubstrate 12 or the environment of the blending 24 may be heated inorder to improve the evenness of the distribution of the binder 14 onthe surfaces of the substrate 12 materials or particles 12.

In one embodiment, using a tacky or adhesive binder, blending 24 iscomplete when coating is substantially even, and the texture of thematerial 10 has an ability to clump, yet is easily crumbled and brokeninto individual particles. At that point, addition 26 of the hydrophilicparticles 18 of the absorber 18 may be accomplished.

Adding 26 the particles 18 as a powder into the blending 24 is a stableprocess. Typically the particles 18 attach 27 or bind 27 at a locationof the substrate 12 particles, thus removing from activity thatlocation. Accordingly, other particles 18, rather than agglomeratingwith one another, continue to tumble in the blending 24 until exposed toa suitable location of binder 14 of the substrate 12. Again, if too muchwater is used as a binder 14, particles 18 of the absorber mayagglomerate. Thus, the adding 26 of the particles 18 or powder 18 ofabsorber, (i.e., polymer, hydrophilic material, etc.) may be designedwithout excessive binding capacity, in order to be a self-stable processproviding a substantially even coating on all the particles of thesubstrate 12.

When the substrate 12 and absorber 18 are no longer segregated norindividually distinguishable, and the resulting material 10 pours orflows freely, the mixing works well and is bonded or otherwise mixed andadhered properly. The material 10 formulated by the process 20 may bedusted with particles 18 and will pour freely.

The material 10 is completed by mixing the carrier 12, coated with theabsorber 18, to assure a coating thereof by an optional repellant 19,such as fumed silica 19 (alternatively called silica fume and fumesilica). Typically, once binding 27 of the absorber 18 to the carrier 12is completed, the repellent 19 may be introduced 28 to the mix. Thisintroduction 28 may occur immediately upon completion of the binding 27,or may be delayed by hours, even days. Nevertheless, when water is usedas the binder 14, it is sometimes beneficial to introduce 28 therepellent 19 right away. For example, additional excessive tumbling andstirring required for introducing 28 the repellent may tend to dislodgesome of the absorbent particles 18.

A final coating of hydrophobic silica fume may be introduced 28 anddistributed 29 as a repellant 19 to an absorber 18 on a substrate 12 orcarrier 12. Distribution 29 of the repellent 19 may be done by any ofseveral methods

For example, repellant may be introduced 28 and be distributed 29 as asuspension in alcohol. The liquid mixture may be applied to a surface,distributing the particles of the fumed silica over the surface. Uponevaporation of the alcohol, the particles remain, adhered to thesurface.

Introducing 28 the repellent 19 may be done by adding the repellent 19,such as fumed silica 19, as a finely divided powder into the material 10in its current, that is, then current, condition. For example, in someembodiments, the repellent 19 may be dry and simply added as a powder tothen adhere by electrostatic attraction. In other embodiments of theprocess 20, the repellent 19 may be distributed in alcohol to then beapplied. Eventually, the alcohol would be evaporated, leaving the powderwell distributed 29.

Upon a thorough distribution 29 of the repellent 19, at a suitable ratioselected to repel liquids for a preselected time, the distribution 20may be complete. At that point, the repellent 19 should be thoroughlydistributed 29, with no significant, residual amount segregated from themain material 10.

The repellant 19 may be added to repel liquids, such as water, for apreselected time in order to aid machine operation during soilamendment, such as by injection. The preselected time may serve as adelay to support settling into the soil before becoming active, toprovide time for ground penetrations to close up, thus preventingswelling and extrusion of the material from ground penetrations, and soforth. Even material 10 intentionally or accidentally spread on top ofthe ground may settle into turf or soil before absorbing water, thusreducing or eliminating slippery surface conditions after application.

Fumed silica, as an industrial material is formed as a byproduct ofsilicon metals such as ferrosilicon alloys. For example, certain magnetcore iron is a silicon alloy of iron. Silica fumes react with oxygen toform an amorphous silicon dioxide. Other methods of manufacture includea continuous flame hydrolysis technique converting silicon tetrachlorideto a gas where it is reacted with water to form the silicon dioxide(silica) and hydrochloric acid.

Fumed silica is a material used as a thickening agent in various liquidformulations in the chemical industry. Fumed silica has a chain-likeparticle morphology. Thus the particles have an ability to bond by weakhydrogen bonds. As an amorphous material effective to create weakhydrogen bonds in liquids, it forms therewith a thixotropic fluid thatflows in response to sufficient shear force. Otherwise, it remainssufficiently viscous to resist flow, even against forces of gravity andsurface tension in many liquid coating products.

Particle sizes in accordance with the invention may be less than amicron in effective diameter. Cement particles are about the size topass through a number 325 mesh sieve. The material size of fumed silicaparticles is typically about one percent of that of a particle of thecement used to form concrete. In fact, the small size makes this porous,volcanic-ash-like material an excellent constituent in hydraulic cement.Structural concrete of over 15,000 psi compressive strength is possibleby inclusion of silica fume in the admixture. Fumed silica, or silicafume is naturally hydrophilic. However, it can be treated withorganosilicons to convert the naturally hydrophilic silica to ahydrophobic material.

In practice, it has been found adequately effective to introduced 28 anddistribute 29 silica repellant 19 dry. The silica powder 19 issufficiently dielectric to be distributed 29 by dry mixing with thecarrier 12 particles coated with absorber particles 18. Electrostaticcharge appears to adhere the repellant to the surface of the material12, while also spacing individual particles 19 of the repellant 19 atmaximum distance from one another. The result is a substantiallyequidistant distribution 29 of particles 19 over the surface of thematerial 12, each held to the surface by electrostatic forces.

Distribution 30 of the material 10 may be conducted in a variety of waysand may include one or several processes. For example, distribution mayinclude marketing distribution from packaging after completion ofblending 24, shipping to distributers and retailers, and purchase andapplication by users. An important part of distribution 30 is thedeployment of the material 10 around the roots of a plant. In oneembodiment of an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention,the material 10 may be poured, as if it were simply sand 12 or othersubstrate 12 alone. Since the powdered absorber 18 or particles 18 willsubstantially occupy the binder 14 (whether water or adhesive), thematerial 10 will not typically bind to itself, but will readily pourjust as the initial substrate material 12 will.

The amount of repellant 19 introduced 25 may range from about twohundred fifty parts per million by weight to about ten percent by weightwith respect to the combined weight of the carrier 12 and absorber 18.In embodiments contemplated for many commercial purposes, the amount ofrepellant 19 may typically range from about one tenth percent to aboutone percent by weight with respect to the combined weight of thematerial 10 constituting the carrier 12 and absorber 18.

Amending 31 a soil material may be accomplished by any of severalmethods. For example, in one embodiment, the hydrator material 10 may beadded to a body of soil by mixing, layering, placement around the rootsystem, or other method of distribution and stabilization. In severalembodiments, the amending 31 may occur by churning the hydrator material10 into potting soil or ground soils. In other embodiments, amending 31may involve penetrating soils in order to place the hydrator material 10below the surface of the soil.

Working 32 the material 10 into a soil may occur by active cultivation,by the passage of time, by watering and thus flowing the material 10 asgranules with the water to a place of lower elevation from a place ofhigher elevation. For example, settling and migration of particulatematerials 10 will serve to work 32 the material 10 into the soil.

Time is a significant factor in working 32 materials into the soil. Forexample, injecting or inserting the material 10 into soils or into acavity in soils may benefit from waiting some period of time forwatering, motion, gravity, and other phenomena to act on the material 10to migrate it downward and to settle it within the soil.

By whatever mechanism, the material 10 is worked 32 into the soil.Thereafter, activating 33 the hydrator material 10 may be initiated bytypically adding liquid, such as irrigation water. Depending upon thepreselected time for which the repellent 19 has been selected andapplied, initiating activation 33 may precede by a considerable time,from seconds to many days, the actual response of absorption of liquidsby the material 10.

For example, at some levels of application of the repellent 19, amaterial 10 may begin absorbing water within a matter of minutes or evenseconds after being exposed to water. Accordingly, a material 10 may beinjected into the soil by a water injection jet, by which the material10 flows quickly down a tube or chute behind a jet of water. Since thetube is itself wet with residual moisture from the water jet, it mayabsorb water and plug the machine if not properly treated. Accordingly,with the repellent 19 treated material 10, only a matter of seconds areneeded in order to alleviate failing of the injection machine.

In other embodiments, it may be desirable to provide time for thematerial 10 to settle into a cavity in the soil. For example, if soil isopened up by disking, drilling, aerator punching, water jet penetration,or the like, it may be desirable to wait a matter of hours or days forthe soil to settle and for any opening at the surface of the soil toclose.

For example, hydrating a large body of the hydrator material 10immediately after insertion into the soil may cause swelling sufficientto extrude the material 10 back out of the cavity 36 into which it isplaced. Thus, the activation 33 may occur over time, beginning withinitial exposure to moisture, and ending when the absorber 18 is fullyactive and capable of absorbing maximum water exposed to the material10.

After the material 10 has been activated 33, then cycling 34 ofhydration will occur with each watering cycle. For example, uponexposure to water, the material 10 will absorb water into the absorber18. Upon a period of extended lack of water, or by absorption of waterfrom the material 10 into the roots of plants, the moisture in thematerial 10, and more particularly in the absorber 18, will be depleted.The cycling 34 continues upon re-watering of the soil 52 near the plants44 relying upon the material 10.

Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment of an installation 35,distribution 30 may include pouring a layer of the material 10 near aplant. In the illustration of FIG. 3, the process 35 or installation 35may include forming a cavity 36 in the ground; by any suitable method.Methods for perforating soils may include drilling, aerator punching,disking, jet penetration, or the like. Following perforation, insertionor pouring of the hydration material 10 may be done manually or bymachine.

For example, for a container such as a pot, planter, or the like one mayassemble the potting soil in layers, including a layer of the hydrationmaterial 10. Alternatively, a tool may penetrate the soil near roots anda user may pour the material 10 in the resulting cavity 36. In theillustrated embodiment, the cavity 36 may have a surrounding environment37 such as the ground. A potting mixture 38 or potting soil 38 may filla portion of the cavity 36.

A mixture of horticultural soil may include a mixture of peat moss,humus, or compost along with other drainage materials. For example,gravel, sand, vermiculite, pearlite, or the like may be mixed with anorganic material such as peat moss or compost in order to providedrainage in addition to the moisture capacity of the organic material.

The material 10 in accordance with the invention may be disposed in alayer 40 poured around a root ball 42 of a plant 44. Accordingly, thelayer 40 may provide to the root ball 42, or to individual roots asurrounding environment 40 having both ease of water transport ordrainage through the substrate 12 (e.g., sand, etc.) while also havingthe particles 18 of hydrophilic material 18 to absorb and maintain waterwithin the interstitial spaces between the substrate 12 particles.

In another embodiment, a machine may perforate the soil of a golfcourse, lawn, farm, or the like by penetrating the soil with a tool orimplement of any known type. Thereafter, the hydration material 10 maybe poured, driven, washed, swept, jetted, or otherwise introduced intothe resulting cavity. In one embodiment, a jet of water may form acavity penetrating a soil location. A quantity of the material may bepositioned by a machine to follow the jet into the cavity formed by thejet.

In another embodiment, a punch (e.g., such as an aerator known in theart or of new design) may core out a cavity 36, removing the soiltherein and may then replace the removed soil core with an injection ofgranulated hydration material 10 in accordance with the invention. Inanother embodiment, a disk or seed drill (e.g., cultivation tool toopen, fill, and close a trench for seed or the like) may open a trench,a conduit may pour the material 10 into the trench, and the disk ordrill may either move the soil back to cover the material 10, or simplyallow a lifted portion of the soil to drop back into place.

It is not imperative that the substrate 12 or carrier be inorganic.Substrates 12 may be chosen from soil, sand, compost, organic particles,seeds, insecticides, wetting agents, fungicides, fertilizers, rootstimulants, or any other soil amendment of organic or inorganic types.Various companies products may be used as soil amendments under varioustrademarks, such as Profile™, Nutrimulch™, and Field and Fairway™.Various machines under trademarks such as Dryject™, Graden™, CSI™ andothers may be used to introduce soil amendments into soils. A drill maycreate a hole, a corer may remove a plug of soil, a disk may cut intosoil, or a like process may form a cavity 36 to place a soil amendment10.

For example, in one embodiment, a drill (e.g., like a common drill tomake vertical holes) may drill cavities 36 of from about one inch toabout 15 inches in length several inches apart, typically 3 inches to afoot apart, and most typically about 5 to 8 inches apart. Penetrationsmay be made in arrays by a drill or jet array or in lines by a row ofdrills, jets, or other penetration devices passing over and periodicallymaking cavities 36 in the soil.

However, premature hydration of a material 10 may foul a machine duringdistribution of the material 10 into the soil. Likewise, prematureabsorption of water by the material may cause local swelling of theground therearound or extrusion of the material 10 as it swells. Thus,in one embodiment of a material in accordance with the invention, thetype, amount, and disposition of the repellant 19 on the absorber 18,substrate 12, or all such features thereof may be selected to provide apreselected time during which the material 10 may be exposed to liquidwithout effectively absorbing or swelling sufficiently to be “activated”for regular and complete absorption and retention of water.

For the preselected time, the repellant will act to prevent access byliquid water to the absorbent 18. Over time, it has been found thatwater vapor can and will pass through the spatial envelope defined bythe repellant 19. It appears that a greater quantity of repellant tendsto maintain liquids at bay for a greater time. Thus, for example, it hasbeen found that the gross or general absorption of water by an absorber18 such as polyacrylamide may be delayed from about several seconds toabout six days, when used in an amount of from about one twentieth ofone percent to about five percent, respectively, by weight of thematerial 10.

As more and more water vapor passes and begins binding to the absorber18, the absorber 18 will swell. At some point, the absorber will swellsufficiently to breach and escape the envelope defined by the repellant19. Projecting out into available liquid water, the absorber 18 willthen begin absorbing water up to its physical limit.

Thereafter, the material 10, in a long cylindrical penetration into theground, in a network of fissures blasted into the ground, in a trench,in a layer 40, or otherwise disposed in a soil or the ground may providea dynamic reservoir within the cavity 36. The material 10 may beengineered to resist hydration for a predetermined time. Thereafter, itmay, by that same engineering design, maintain a high degree ofhydration (e.g., water held in a gel) that will not drain into theenvironment 37, nor be readily evaporated out. To this end, a topdressing 46 or a top layer 46 may be laid down on top of the layer 40 orsoil 52 in order to provide some protection against evaporation fromheat, sun, air, and the like.

The top layer 46 may be formed of the same potting soil or othermaterial of the layer 38 below the plant 44 and the root ball 42.Various suitable top layers 46 exist and are known in the horticulturearts.

For example, mulches, wood chips, synthetic materials, plastic sealing,and the like may be used as a covering layer 46. Inhibiting heattransfer and excessive access to air and heat may assist in reducingevaporation from the layer 40 of the material 10.

Referring to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of an installation 35 mayinclude the cavity 36 and an environment 37 as discussed above. In theembodiment of FIG. 4, the root ball 42 may be surrounded by adistributed mixture 48 or fill 48 that includes the material 10 mixedinto another potting soil mixture. For example, in the embodiment ofFIG. 4, a potting soil mixture of any suitable combination of materials(e.g., selections from vermiculite, perlite, sand, peat moss, compost,soil, gravel, or the like as recited hereinabove) may be mixed with thematerial 10 throughout. A top layer 46 forming a suitable dressing tominimize evaporation from heat or wind may still serve well.

Once applied to soils, the material 10 works 32 its way into the soil bynatural settling, watering, and operation of weather and gravity. Also,the particle size, softening of soils with watering, and the swellingand contraction with absorption and release of moisture all act to workthe particles 10 into the soil, whether initially injected into the soilor applied as a top dressing.

The material 10 may typically include from about 1 percent to about 20percent of an absorber 18, also called a hydrophilic material 18 orabsorbent particles 18. The particles 18 may be formed of a naturallyoccurring material, such as a cellulose, gelatin, organic material, orthe like.

In one embodiment, a synthetic gel, such as polyacrylamide may be usedfor the absorber particles 18, in a ratio of from about 1 to about 20percent particles 18 compared to the weight of the substrate 12. Inexperiments, a range of from about 5 to about 10 percent by weight hasbeen found to be most effective for the effective amount of absorberparticles 18.

Sizes of particles 18 may range from about 20 mesh to smaller than 100mesh. Particles 18 of from about 50 to about 75 mesh have been foundmost effective.

The binder 14 may typically be in the range of from about in ¼ percentto about 3 percent of the weight of the substrate 12. A range of fromabout ¾ percent to about 1 ½ percent has been found to work best. Thatis, with a binder such as lignicite, ¼ of 1 percent has been found notto provide as reliable binding of particles 18 to the substrate 12.Meanwhile, a ratio of higher than about 3 percent by weight of binder 14to the amount of a substrate 12, such as sand, when using lignicite asthe binder 14, tends to provide too much agglomeration. The pouringability of the material 10 is inhibited as well as the blending 24, dueto agglomeration. Other binders also operate, including several smallermolecules that are water soluble. For example, glues, gelatins, sugars,molasses, and the like may be used as a binder 14.

Again, water alone may be used as a binder 14 by exposing particles 18of absorber 18 to a limited amount thereof. For example, mixing fromabout ½ percent to about 6 percent water by weight, with respect to thesubstrate 12, one may mix the absorber 18 in, and the absorber 18 willabsorb the water and bind to the substrate 12 or carrier 12. A tumblingtype of mixing has been found effective. Below ½ percent water, bindingwill still occur, but has not typically been found to be universal,reliable, nor complete. Likewise, greater than 6 percent water stillworks to bind the absorber. In any event humidity and temperatureeffects may affect the mixing and binding processes. However, aboveabout six percent water, the absorber 18 tends to take on too muchwater, resulting in agglomeration of the carrier particles 12 by themoistened particles 18 of absorbent material 18 therebetween. Within therange of from about ½ percent to about 6 percent water, by weight,mixing works well, adhesion of particles 18 to the substrate 12 workswell, and the material 10 still flows freely as a granular material.

One substantial advantage for the material 10 in accordance with thepresent invention is that the material remains flowable as a particulateor sand-like material 10 into the area of roots and under a rootball oraround the individual open roots of plants being transplanted. With therepellant 19 applied thereto, such flowing works well even in thepresence or water. For example a water jet creating a cavity in soil candraw a slug or charge of delayed-hydration material 10 into a conduit ofa machine for delivery into the cavity formed by a water jet. Properlyformulated, the material 10, during the preselected time for which it isdesigned, remains substantially unaffected by the moisture or humidityin the delivery machine, a delivery conduit, exposure to the jet drawingthe charge into the cavity, residual water in the cavity, nor subsequentirrigation of surrounding soils and the cavity. Thus, soil dressingmachinery is not fouled, soils do not swell excessively (e.g.,operationally perceptibly), and the use of property such as grounds,fairways, and greens is not unduly interrupted.

Handling and application is simple, and the ability of granular material10 to flow under and around small interstices between roots or betweenpotting materials provides for a very effective application. Thematerial 10 treated with repellant 19 aids in simplifying storage,drilling, delivery, and recovery.

Referring to FIG. 5, a tool 50, may introduce the material 10 into asoil 52 or plot 52 in soil. In certain embodiments, the tool 50 may beembodied as a corer that will remove soil. In others, the tool 50 may bea drill. In the illustrated embodiment, the tool 50 is a jet conduit 50that injects a jet of water into the soil 52 forming the cavity 36.

In the illustrated embodiment, following the evacuation or formation ofa cavity 36, by the water, a quantity of the material 10 follows thewater through the tool 50 and fills up the various portions, bothcentral and extremities 54 of the cavity 36. Ultimately, continuedwatering may further move material 10 from the center of the cavity 36into the extremities 54 by operation of gravity, water fluidization, andso forth. Typically, the material 10 will not fill the cavity 36completely. This provides for the cavity 36 to subsequently close at itsopening near the surface of the soil 52. By closure of the opening ofthe cavity 36, the material 10 experiences a greater restriction toexiting the cavity 36 upon swelling with hydration.

Actually, the process or the cycling 34 of hydration, passing onto adryer condition, and then being re-hydrated will also tend to work onthe cavity 36 and promote distribution of the material 10 and settlementthereof into the lower extremities 54 of the cavity 36.

Certain experiments were conducted using the material 10 in accordancewith the present invention with or without repellent 19 in accordancewith the principle of the experiment. For example, in one experimentvarious sizes of planting pots were used ranging in size from one quartto one gallon, two gallons, and five gallons. Various plants were testedincluding geraniums, hibiscus, and Indian hawthorn.

In one experiment, a five gallon potting container was half filled witha potting soil mixture of conventional type. Approximately one liter ofthe material 10 was added as a layer on top of the potting soil. Threegeraniums plants where then planted in the material 10. The remainder ofthe pot was filled with a potting soil mixture.

The pot was placed where it could drain and was watered liberally, withthe excess water running out of the drainage apertures in the pot. Foursuch pots were set up, each having three geranium plants. Fouradditional pots were set up without using material 10 in a layer 40around the roots of the plants. All plants were planted and all potswere prepared on the same day. The same amount of water was applied toeach of the pots.

After 10 days, the untreated plants lacking the material 10 in the extralayer 40 of the material 10 to hold the water appeared to be extremelystressed. In fact, the plants stressed sufficiently that after 15 daysthey appeared dead.

Plants potted in the layer 40 of the hydrated material 10 still appearedhealthy after 10 days and after 15 days. At 35 days after watering, theplants in the treated pots containing the layer 40 of hydrating material10 began to appear stressed. Upon watering, they responded well andreturned to full hydration and health. The plants in the untreated potsdid not recover.

Another test used hibiscus plants with four pots treated with the layer40 of a hydrating material 10 and four pots untreated. All pots were thesame size. The watering process was the same. Thus, as with the geraniumexperiment, all pots were watered equally.

After 15 days the hibiscus plants that had not been treated with theextra layer 40 of the hydrating material 10 appeared very stressed.After 20 days, the plants in the untreated plots were turning brown.

In contrast, hibiscus plants in the treated pots having an extra layer40 of hydrating material 10 appeared healthy after 15 days and even outto 22 days, when the hibiscus plants in the untreated plots were in thebrowning stages of dying.

After 38 days, the hibiscus plants in the treated pots began to showstress. Water was provided to plants at 38 days. The untreated pots werewatered the same as the treated pots. Plants in the untreated pots didnot respond. The plants in the treated pots responded well and continuedliving healthily upon the watering at 38 days.

In one experiment, an Indian hawthorn was planted in the ground. About aliter of the material 10 was laid about the roots in a layer 40 asdescribed hereinabove. In this instance, the experiment was conducted inan environment of natural ground. The Indian hawthorn plants were placedin holes approximately 18 inches across by about 15 inches deep. In eachinstance, the hole 36 prepared for the plant was partially filled with asoil and wetted. Two plants were placed in holes treated withapproximately 1 liter of the material 10, each. A control was created byplanting two additional Indian hawthorns using each step the same, inpreparation of the hole, placement of the soil in the hole, and wateringof the soil and the plants. In the control, none of the material 10 wasused.

No further water was applied. After 20 days, the untreated shrubsappeared to be dry with some stress. After 33 days, the plants in theuntreated holes were dead. Meanwhile, the treated shrubs remainedhealthy throughout.

In another experiment, the foregoing experiment was repeated using twoadditional Indian hawthorn plants and treating the soil with a layer 40containing about 1 ½ liters of the hydrating materials 10 near theroots. In that experiment, after 20 days, the shrubs appeared healthy.At 33 days, the shrubs began to show a minimal amount of stress. At 40days, the stressed plants were watered and responded well, returning tohealth and continued life.

In all of the foregoing experiment series, the particles 18 were ofpolyacrylamide, and the substrate 12 was sand. The polyacrylamideconstituted approximately 5 percent by weight of the overall material10. The particle size 18 was approximately a 60 mesh granularity.

In certain experiments, the material 10 was formulated with only wateras a binder 14. A range of ½ percent to about 6 percent was foundeffective to maintain reliable performance yet very reliable and simplemixing and handling of the substrate 12 and absorber particles 18 in theratios discussed hereinabove. Colorant was sometimes added in suitableproportions to the water in order to provide colored material 10. Thebest performance, without agglomeration of particles of substrate 12 bythe absorber, and without leaving unattached particles of absorber inany significant fraction in the mixed material 10 seemed to occur whenusing water within this range with a good design point being near about2 ½ percent water by weight. Thus from about 1 percent to about 5percent is recommended, with a very desirable range of from about 2percent to about 3 percent for best results. However, this may beadjusted for temperature and humidity available in the environment.

Experiments with the repellant 19 ranged from about 1/40 percent toabout 5 percent by weight of the material 10. At a zero percentagecontrol, having no repellant 19, absorption of water occurredimmediately upon introduction of the water to the absorber 18. At 1/40percent, the effect of delay was perceptible but almost unnoticeable. Atabout 1/20 percent, the preselected time for delay of gross absorptionof water by the material 10 was about five minutes. At 1/10 percent,delay was typically from about 40 seconds to a minute before large scaleabsorption by the absorber material 18. At 5 percent repellant 19 byweight, the delay time for activation of the material 10 was six days toobserve even a minimal absorption of water by the material 10.Experiments with repellant 19 in a proportion of from about 1/10 percentto about 1 percent provided suitable delays for avoiding foulingmachines and permitting soils to return to normal without prematureswelling that may cause undue swelling, extrusion from soil cavities,slippery consistency, and so forth.

Experiments conducted on seeds as a substrate 12 resulted in germinationof the seeds by surrounding water vapor while the exterior of the seedsremained dry throughout the experiment.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative,and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

1. A method for treating soils, the method comprising: providing ahydrator, comprising a carrier formed as granules, an absorber disposedon a surface of the carrier, and a repellant applied to the absorber toresist absorption of water thereby for a preselected period of time;selecting a soil location; providing a cavity in the soil; positioning aquantity of the hydrator in the cavity; applying water to the soillocation during the preselected period to integrate the hydrator intothe soil and to close the cavity to resist escape of the hydrator uponeventual absorption of water by the absorber; penetrating by water theabsorber to substantially destroy the ability of the repellant to resistabsorption of water by the absorber; providing water to the soilsubsequent to the preselected period to hydrate of the absorber; andmaintenance of a portion of the water by the absorber after drying ofsurrounding soil proximate the soil location.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising forming the cavity by a device selected from thegroup comprising a drill, a corer, a trencher, and a jet of fluid. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises first particles andthe absorber comprises second particles an order of magnitude smallerthan the first particles and initially secured thereto for absorbingwater.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the repellant comprises amaterial having a surface tension with water effective to repel liquidwater.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the repellant is an inorganicmaterial.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the repellant is silicondioxide.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the carrier includes one ormore materials selected from the group consisting of seed, insecticide,fungicide, surfactant, fertilizer, organic amendment to soils, rootstimulant, and inorganic amendment to soils.
 8. The method of claim 7wherein the inorganic amendment to soils is selected from the groupconsisting essentially of sand, gravel, vermiculite, and perlite.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the absorber is a polymer.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the polymer is polyacrylamide.
 11. The method of claim1, further comprising binding the absorber to the carrier by partiallyhydrating the absorber to form a binder portion thereof effective toadhere to the carrier.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprisingproviding water to wet the outside surface of the carrier in an amountof from about one half percent to about twelve percent by weight withrespect to the carrier.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount ofabsorber is from about one half percent to about 50 percent by weightwith respect to the carrier
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein theamount of repellant is from about two hundred fifty parts per million byweight to about ten percent by weight with respect to the combinedweight of the carrier and absorber.
 15. A method of soil amendment, themethod comprising: providing a hydrator, comprising a carrier formed asgranules, an absorber disposed on a surface of the carrier, and arepellant applied to the absorber to resist absorption of water therebyfor a preselected period of time; providing a tool effective topenetrate a soil location; forming a cavity by the tool; positioning acharge comprising the hydrator in the cavity; resisting, by therepellant, absorption of a liquid by the absorber; passing through therepellant, by a vapor of the liquid, to hydrate the absorber; andswelling of the absorber in response to absorption thereby of the vapor;and breaching by the absorber, the repellant to provide access to theabsorber by the liquid.
 16. A method of soil amendment, the methodcomprising: providing a hydrator, comprising a carrier formed to begranulated, an absorber disposed on a surface of the carrier, and arepellant applied to the absorber to resist absorption of water therebyfor a preselected period of time; selecting a soil location; forming acavity at the soil location; injecting a preselected amount of thehydrator; waiting the preselected period of time as the hydrator worksinto the cavity and the cavity closes sufficiently to resist exit of thehydrator from the cavity due to absorption; substantially neutralizingthe effect of the absorber to expose the hydrator to liquid water; andstoring by the hydrator a quantity of water effective to supporthydration of a plant located proximate the soil location.
 17. The methodof claim 16, wherein the hydrator is a polymer is selected to absorbliquid water, forming a gel therewith substantially upon exposurethereto.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the carrier is an inorganicmaterial.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the carrier is selectedfrom sand, gravel, vermiculite, and perlite.
 20. The composition ofclaim 26, wherein the polymer is polyacrylamide.